Actor Vincent Irizarry Visits the Long Island Wine Country
Story and Photos by Christopher J. Davies, Publisher

After ten months of planning, I was pinching myself with disbelief that this day had finally arrived. Vincent Irizarry (a.k.a. Dr. David Hayward) from the popular soap opera, All My Children, was due to meet me at Briermere Farms' parking lot in ten minutes. Fidgeting, I called him on his cell phone to check his whereabouts. "I just turned right on Sound Avenue," he confirmed.

It was another overcast day on the North Fork of Long Island. The weather folks were predicting that the afternoon would transform into another soaker. Yuck! I prayed that the weather would hold out long enough for Vincent's VIP vineyard tour at Martha Clara Vineyards.

Vincent pulled up in his SUV with New Jersey plates, making him easy for me to spot. A little on the hungry side, he asked for some cottage cheese (protein), which was unavailable at Briermere's fresh produce/baked pie stand. We traveled a little east to a small delicatessen called Wegert's Country Store. No cottage cheese to be found. Instead, we settled for rolls with cheese.

Vincent was now satisfied enough to begin his tour. Vincent has been a friend of my family for almost thirty years. We are both of the same vintage - 1959 - and, although we have traveled different paths, I have proudly admired Vince's career over the years.

Vincent was born in Queens and grew up in Lake Grove and Fort Salonga on Long Island. Vince studied theatre at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and received a scholarship to study with the renowned Lee Strasberg. After six years in theatre, he ventured into television in 1983 with a gig on The Guiding Light as Lujak. His first movie break came with Marie: A True Story with Sissy Spacek, followed by a major part in Clint Eastwood's Heartbreak Ridge where he played the role of Fragatti.

In the Jackie Collins mini-series, Lucky Chances, Vince played the lead character beside Sandra Bullock. Since then, Jackie Collins has become one of his most ardent supporters. I especially enjoyed watching this series, which encompassed a long time period, as it showed Vince age from early twenties to late seventies. The make-up artists were fantastic!

After several appearances on Beverly Hills 90210, Vince joined the cast of All My Children as Dr. David Hayward, Susan Lucci's character's (Erica) on again, off again boyfriend. The show is filmed on video in New York City on a closed set. His character has been very busy this past season, and judging by the stories in the soap opera publications at my grocery store, fans love Vince's performance. He is now entering his third consecutive year on the show.

Vince has been singing since he was a young boy. He recently finished a recording for Edgar: A Gothic Musical. He also makes personal appearances at shopping malls throughout the U.S., and more recently, at the Brokerage Comedy Club on Long Island.

Our Tour

Having toured vineyards in Napa Valley and Southeast Italy, where his grandparents were born, Vince has acquired a fondness for good wine. During the summer, he favors white wines, Chardonnay in particular. His two favorite red wines are Eligio Red Reserve from Italy and Joseph Phelps' Insignia Proprietor's blend.

Although a Long Island native, this was Vince's first tour of the Long Island Wine Country. His only experience with Long Island wine was about ten years ago when his dad gave him a bottle to try. At that time, he was not impressed with the wine. "It was not flavorful or mature." So I decided to make it my personal goal to show Vince how much Long Island wines have improved and excelled in a decade's time.

Our first stop was a VIP tour of Martha Clara Vineyards in Riverhead. Martha Clara is a major new producer of "Estate Grown" wine on Long Island. The Entenmann family of delectable cake fame owns them. At present, Martha Clara does not have a tasting room. Pam Hunt, Martha Clara's Administrative Manager, was kind enough to accommodate our request for an early morning vineyard tour and tasting at her office.

The weather was dry but overcast. When we arrived, Pam Hunt and Jackie Entenmann Connolly were waiting to greet us. Since it was a little early for tasting wine, we decided to embark on our tour of the 125-acre vineyard. Pam offered to drive us in her car, but when Vince spotted a golf cart, he volunteered to do the driving. With Pam up front in the passenger seat, I hung on for dear life in the back seat, with my trusty Leica Digilux digital camera.

Pam Hunt has been heavily involved with the Long Island wine industry for a number of years. Both Vince and I found her narrative tour thoroughly educational. Vineyard Manager, Wojtek Majewski, gave us a ten-minute crash course on Martha Clara's high-tech lasers, grape pickers, and his patented bird-netting machine. Martha Clara Vineyards employs state-of-the-art laser planting technology, which ensures that their grapevines are closely planted in the straightest rows possible. Their vines produce an abundant amount of quality fruit. Vince stopped the golf cart several times during the tour for a close-up look at the ripening grapes. With only four to six weeks remaining before harvest, Martha Clara's grape clusters were looking quite luscious.

When we returned to Pam's office, we were treated to a tasting of Martha Clara's 1999 Viognier. This white wine is a splendid alternative to Chardonnay. It has a fruit driven flavor with aromas of apple blossom and melons. The label is a black and white wedding photo of the vineyard's matriarch, Mrs. Martha Clara Entenmann.

Martha Clara's current releases are all white wines: 1999 Viognier, 1999 Chardonnay, 1999 Semillon, 1999 Gerwurztraminer and 1999 Riesling, which recently won a silver medal in an upstate New York competition. This relative newcomer to the region has 75% of its plantings in red grapes. Their red wines are currently aging in barrels. Their 1999 Merlot is the first red scheduled for release; it will be available in the Fall of 2001.

The next stop on our tour was Macari Vineyards in Mattituck. The Macari estate spans an awesome 360 acres from Sound Ave and Bergen Road all the way to the Long Island Sound. When Vince and I arrived, it was starting to mist, putting a damper on our planned tour of the vineyards. Instead, we headed into the tasting room to try some wines.

As is recommended for all tastings, we started with white wines first. We decided to try Macari's 1998 Viognier, which was reminiscent of jasmine and honeysuckle with a soft, light, creamy texture. By trying this wine first, we were able to compare our notes with the previous tasting of Viognier at Martha Clara. Our next tasting was their 1999 Sauvignon Blanc, which is a crisp and vibrant wine, perfect for summer enjoyment. Remembering my personal commitment to show Vince that Long Island wines were now respectable, I decided to check Vince's approval level. "So, Vince. What do you think?" I asked. "Pretty good taste," he remarked.

Our next two tastings were Macari's 1997 and 1998 Estate Chardonnay. Both wines were bright and fruit driven, without an oaky flavor. As a person fond of drinking California Chardonnay, Vince was now taking notice! Macari's 1998 Reserve Barrel Fermented Chardonnay was tried next. This wine had a peachy, caramel texture with a slight oak seasoning. Vince enjoyed this wine so much that he purchased a few bottles to take home. Voila!

After trying the white wines, Winemaker Jose Montilla met us in the tasting room for an escorted tour of the lower level wine cellar and processing facility. Jose treated us to a special barrel tasting of Macari's 1998 Merlot, an intense, full-flavored red wine with hints of plum and spice.

Jose provided us with a step-by-step tour of the fermentation tanks, automated bottling line, and laboratory. Winemaking is a science that is predicated on making the best wine from the available fruit. Macari Vineyards focuses intently on growing the best possible fruit, which they believe will translate into making better wines.

Looking outside at the hammering rain and considering Vince's tight schedule, we decided it was best to go have lunch. Although I would have liked to show Vince more wineries, I was happy that his opinion of Long Island wines had improved.

After thanking the staff at Macari, we headed back to our cars and traveled west to Giorgio's Restaurant at the Foxhill Country Club in Baiting Hollow. Giorgio's offers a pleasant view of the Foxhill Golf Course. The food is tasty, Southern Italian, served by a friendly staff of Italian speaking gentlemen. As we enjoyed our meal, I asked Vince for his evaluation of our tour. "I was very impressed with today's tour. The people here really know what they are doing. They have a great understanding for the growing conditions, and I was very impressed with the wines. I am taking a few bottles home today to prove it!"

Contact information:

Martha Clara Vineyards:www.marthaclaravineyards.com
Macari Vineyards:www.macariwines.com
Vincent Irizarry official web site:www.vincentirizarry.com

info@longislandwinecountry.com
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